HISTORY

• First flown in June of 1956, the MiG-21 has been built in greater numbers (10,000+) than any other warplane of the post-war era. The first production version, a day interceptor capable of Mach 2 performance, entered service with the Soviet Air Force in late 1959. Since then, at least 17 sub-types have been produced and supplied to air forces in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
• Western intelligence officers got their first close-up look at the aircraft they'd code-named "Fishbed" in 1966 when an Iraqi pilot defected to Israel. Later variants featured an enlarged vertical fin and rudder and increased internal fuel capacity housed in a large dorsal spine.
• North Vietnamese MiG-21 s regularly intercepted U.S. aircraft during the air war in Southeast Asia. American pilots shot down at least 82 of the delta-winged fighters.
• MiG-21 s were built in China, Czechoslovakia, and India in addition to the Soviet Union. The Russian Federation and its former Warsaw Pact allies have largely retired the MiG-21 but the aircraft continues to serve in large numbers in the Third World. The Indian Air Force is the largest user of the MiG-21 in the new millennium.

DISTINCTION

• Planes of Fame Air Museum's MiG-21R originally served with the Soviet Air Force. It was sent to Czechoslovakia for maintenance and was there when the USSR collapsed. The aircraft was then taken over by the Czechs before being obtained by Planes of Fame Air Museum.

SPECIFICATIONS